Mike Tomlin said Monday he’d defend Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow the same way if given another chance, even after Denver burned the defending AFC champions for an 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime in a stunning 29-23 victory.

“Obviously they made some nice plays on us and in hindsight you would analyze it, but your options are limited in terms of how you attack them,” Tomlin said. The Steelers crowded the line of scrimmage and dared Tebow to beat the NFL’s top-ranked defense with his sometimes erratic left arm.

Tebow obliged by throwing for 316 yards and a pair of long touchdowns, including the dart Demaryius Thomas turned into the quickest overtime score in NFL playoff history. “They made a nice football play,” Tomlin said.

The first playoff game in which the league’s revised overtime rules never got to see the new rules in play after Thomas slipped past cornerback Ike Taylor then outraced Taylor and backup safety Ryan Mundy to the end zone. Tomlin had no problems with the defensive play call, an inverted zone that called for Mundy and Troy Polamalu to crowd the line of scrimmage to stop the run.

After reading comments over the past 24 hours, it seems like Hines Ward is going to return to the field for 2012, and he wants it to be with the Steelers.

As far as coming back as the 5th or 6th WR for the Black and Gold in 2012, Ward is going to have to take a pay cut to do it. There’s no chance the team is going to pay him what he’s due for 2012. Ward has two years and $ 4 million left on his contract, and said Tuesday that he would be open to taking a pay cut to stay with the Steelers.

“I’d probably have to restructure my contract,” Ward said of the pay cut. “That’s fine with me. I recognize that. I’m telling you I want to be here, I’m telling you I’m willing to do that. And I understand the ramifications — we have the cap number and stuff, but I want to be here.”

The other issue is his role. He’s no longer a starter, and it doesn’t look like that will happen again in 2012. The 35-year-old, four-time Pro Bowler is the Steelers’ all-time leader in receptions (1,000), receiving yardage (12,083) and touchdown catches (85). He’s one of only eight NFL receivers all time to reach 1,000 receptions.

Ward says he’s not going to complain about not being out on the field at the start of games.

“Obviously, I was a starter, and then it went the way it did. That’s fine, I don’t have a problem with not starting. But I want to play, I want to try to win another Super Bowl. I want to do it for this organization. I want to help this team out. I still think I can help this team, on the field, off the field with the younger guys, still be there for the team. I’m willing to do all that.”

It sounds more and more like the future for Ward is all in the hands of the Steelers.

The Steelers signed Ike Taylor to a four-year contract worth $ 28 million before the season because he was the best of the existing cornerbacks on the roster and there wasn't a starter-capable player behind him. And, despite what happened to him in the team's sudden and stunning playoff loss in Denver, Taylor will return and assume a similar role to the one he performed this season.

Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor, who was repeatedly burned by Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas in Sunday night’s loss, has offered an apology. Taylor wrote on Twitter after the game that he was sorry for the way he had played. “First off congrats too tebow and the broncos,” Taylor wrote. “Second I apologize for playing the worst…